Many structural components of buildings, vehicles, mechanical devices and other works of construction include regions which are normally subjected to higher temperatures than other regions. For example, in a jet engine of an aircraft, the inner region of the engine housing (i.e., the surface of the engine housing closer to the exhaust) typically reaches higher temperatures than the outer region. The differences in temperature are often related to the thermal conductivity of the structural component.
In cases where the structural component possesses low thermal conductivity, heat will encounter resistance in transferring from the heated region to a cooler region. Without an adequate transfer mechanism for the heat, the resulting differential thermal expansion can cause stretching, tearing, and/or deformation in the structure or supporting materials. While the structure may be fabricated using alternative materials possessing high levels of thermal conductivity, these materials are often a poor choice for designers for other reasons (e.g., high price, heavy weight, low strength, etc.).